Pure Imagination

Famously sung by Gene Wilder in the 1971 movie "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", this song has always been one of my favorites.

It has also taken on a special meaning to me, because it provides a connection from my childhood to my current life - you see, I grew up in New York State, but now live in the city of Munich, Germany. That's a long way from where I started.

I didn't realize until probably 2015 or so that the movie was actually FILMED in Munich, and the building they used for the chocolate factory is still standing. I've ridden my bicycle past it several times - it still looks relatively similar, although some renovations have been done since 1971.

People in Germany aren't all that familiar with this movie, so I always get a kick out of playing the song for them. It also serves as a bridge of sorts for me, connecting my childhood home to my adult home.

"Pure Imagination" is a beautiful melody composed by Leslie Bricusse, with lyrics by Anthony Newley.

My recording process:
1) Vibes first, using a click. one take.
2) piano second, did some editing, but nothing major. I made two takes and decided (as always) that the first one was the best.
3) added the bass guitar - this wasn't nearly as difficult as 'Butterflies', so I had it in 2 takes, plus a couple of punches to fix dumb mistakes.
4) Recorded the drums... I did 3 takes - as usual the first one was the best.

I used Rode M5 mics to record the vibes, Prosonus Audiobox USB96 to record the bass direct, and nothing but the Zoom H4 pointed in the general direction of the drums.

Everything went through Logic - I added some compression, automation, etcetera.

I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did making it!

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Thanks for watching!

-Tim